16 SURVIVORS: ONE WINNER!

Who of the surviving teams in the Sweet 16 will be able to take the title in the NCAA 2012 Tournament?  Let’s explore who are the remaining 16 teams in no particular ranking order: 

 

      1.     Kentucky: #1 overall seed Kentucky Wildcats have won the first two tournament games by an average of 15 points.  If you have selected the Wildcats to win the NCAA title, you should be pleased with their bracket.  Marquis Teague, the freshman point guard, had 24 points in last Saturday's victory over Iowa State.  They were able to hold one of the country's top 3-point shooting teams to a 3-of-22 performance from beyond the arc.  The Wildcats will get a chance to exact a little revenge over #4 seed Indiana, a team that dealt them one of their few losses this year.

      2.     Indiana: The #4 seed Indiana Hoosiers are in the Sweet 16 for the first time in over 10 years mainly due to the big shot by Will Sheehey's against VCU (Virginia Commonwealth). Indiana is one of just two teams to defeat Kentucky this season, however, things will be a little tougher on a neutral court.  Indiana is playing without guard Verdell Jones III, who suffered a knee injury in the Big Ten tournament that ended his season. One thing remains certain, Coach Tom Crean, who won the ESPN.com's National Coach of the Year award, has done a remarkable job with this team. #1 seed Kentucky v. #4 seed Indiana ~ that will be a good one for sure.

      3.     Xavier: The #10 seed Xavier Musketeers defeated the #15 seed Lehigh (who defeated the Duke Blue Devils) with 7’ Kenny Frease, a solid low-post threat, Tu Holloway, the best scoring guard the country who is a a high contender for All-American” guard, and Mark Lyons, a “Dennis Rodman” type defensive stopper.  It will be interesting to see how Xavier matches Baylor's size and depth.

 

4.     Baylor: Speaking of the #3 seed Baylor Bears, they came into the NCAA tournament feeling very confident after beating both Kansas State and Kansas in the Big 12 tournament. Brady Heslip has really made a difference by scoring 14 of his 22 attempts from 3-point range during the tournament.  Not to mention, the Bears have been beasts on the glass!!

5.     Kansas: With a last minute win against the Purdue Boilermakers, Coach Bill Self's team, the #2 seed Jayhawk’s, won despite shooting less than 40% from the field.  Although Thomas Robinson cannot continue to miss all but two of his 12 field goal attempts, thank GOD for Elijah Johnson who came through with some huge plays down the stretch.  If they want to pull off the win against North Carolina State, the center, Jeff Withey, needs to be more of a factor.

6.     North Carolina State: The biggest upset was the #11 seed N.C. State Wolfpacks over #3 seed Georgetown.  Although the Wolfpacks is the team that many people still believe does not deserve to be in the tournament, they have advanced to the Sweet 16 by defeating two higher seeds, San Diego State and Georgetown. Lorenzo Brown had some essential assists in the two wins, while C.J. Leslie contributed much needed points at crunch time. The Wolfpacks have a very talented team with lots of height and athleticism. Look out Kansas! The Wolfpacks could just give the Jayhawks some unexpected trouble.

7.     North Carolina: Although #1 seed Tar Hill’s will have an uphill battle without point guard Kendall Marshall who is out due to a wrist injury, it would not be wise to ignore the Tar Hill’s size, experience and talent.  Players Tyler Zeller, John Henson, Harrison Barnes and James Michael McAdoo are all projected as lottery picks in the 2012 NBA draft.   The Tar Hill will have a tough time trying to win it all without Marshall, but a Final Four certainly is not out of the realm of possibility.

8.     Ohio: The #13 seed Bobcats pulled off one of the more surprising upsets when they defeated #4 seed Michigan.  Point Guard D.J. Cooper has averaged 20 points in the team's two victories, one win against South Florida.  Ohio has won 10 of its last 11 games, but Friday's matchup against #1 seed North Carolina may be the biggest upset yet!

      9.     Michigan State:  Tom Izzo is one of the best postseason coaches in history. Two more wins and the #1 seed Spartans will be in the Final Four for the fourth time in the last eight seasons.  With Draymond Green, one of the most versatile players in the country, averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists this tournament, #4 seed Cardinals will have their work cut out for them.

      10.  Louisville: The #4 seed Louisville and Coach Rick Pitno, have achieved more with less.  All season the Cardinal’s program has battled many injuries and depth issues.   Although the Cardinals are not fun to watch on offense, but defensively they play hard and give their contenders a run for the money.  Gorgui Dieng, center, has developed into a true force in the paint, and Peyton Siva, Russ Smith and Kyle Kuric are three formidable, unstoppable guards.  With this matchup, it is more about the Pitino-Izzo matchup because it will pit two of the leagues top coaches against one another.

11.   Marquette: Now, the Marquette Golden Eagles have a serious physical style of defense, and offensively, they are the top transition team in the country with Jae Crowder and Darius Johnson-Odom as two of the top 10 players remaining in this year's field.  Marquette has rough waters to get through with the Gators in hot pursuit.

12.    Florida: The #7 seed Gators have truly been chomping up their contenders.  No team had an easier path to the Sweet 16 than the Gators, who defeated Virginia and Norfolk State by an average of 30 points. Florida entered the tournament having lost four of its previous five games, but now it should have some confidence entering its match up with #3 seed Marquette.

      13.  Syracuse: Although #1 seed Syracuse bounced back with a convincing win over K-State without Jamar Samuels, Syracuse does not have the look of a Final Four team. Thursday's near-loss to #16 seed UNC Asheville created some serious concerns about the Orange's ability to reach the Final Four without suspended center Fab Melo.  Coach Jim Boeheim's squad has not advanced past the Sweet 16 since 2003, but they could break that trend this season and get to at least the Elite Eight if they can get past #4 seed Wisconsin.

      14.  Wisconsin: The Badgers will try to slow things down against Syracuse. Wisconsin averages 59% possessions per game, the fewest in the nation. In the tournament, the Badgers are shooting 46% against zone defenses. That is encouraging and should give Bo Ryan's team some confidence as it prepares to face the Orange.  Point guard Jordan Taylor has to do better than his 10 of 15 missed shots against Vanderbilt.

      15.  Ohio State: The #2 seed OSU Buckeyes is now the Final Four favorite in the East and the top contender for the East Region Champs.  It does not surprise me that the “oft-overlooked” is usually the best player.  Forward Deshaun Thomas has been Ohio State's best player in recent weeks averaging 24.5 points in the tournament and has also been a force on the glass.

16.  Cincinnati: The Cincinnati Bearcats is one of the most underrated teams in the tournament.  It was Coach Mick Cronin's team that upset Syracuse in the Big East tournament, and the Bearcats have now advanced to the Sweet 16. Guards Sean Kilpatrick and Dion Dixon combined for 33 points in the win against Florida State and are playing with tons of confidence.

SOURCE:

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“It’s March ~ Let’s Stop the Madness!!”

As the parent of a high school athlete who learns quickly from watching others play, out-hustles everyone on the court, and can easily pick up moves that are beneficial to him, his team and the game, it baffles me why he has been intentionally overlooked by his high school and former AAU coaches.  These coaches tend to show favor to athletes who are often breaking the rules (sex, alcohol, academic probation and drugs), showing disrespect to coaches and teammates, display poor sportsmanship and seemingly have no boundaries.

What defines a good high school basketball athlete? In addition to athleticism, my son, Christopher Walker II, is disciplined, and has the desire and abilities to play collegiate athletics at some level.  I know you may say that as his mother I am biased toward my son, however, there are many other parents and athletes who have the same assessment of his abilities and character.  These athletes have either quit the team or their parents have allowed them to resign from the school because of the lack of leadership of these coaches and the overall deficiencies in the basketball program. 

You may ask, “What defines a good high school basketball program and coach?”  Well, believe it or not, one of the best ways to get players to enjoy themselves and get the most from their experience is by establishing the right kind of Discipline.  That’s right, you heard correctly!! Discipline, accountability, structure and most importantly ~ follow-through!  It’s not enough to have rules if you are not going to mean what you say!!

Most coaches go about it all wrong.  They may yell, cuss and punish for infractions or inappropriate behavior, however, this only serves to fragment their focus on the team and hinder their motivation, which may ultimately cause the athletes to quit the team.

A simple solution~ Structure!! It is a proven fact that most people function better when there is order.  It helps them to feel more secure and they know what to expect and how to perform. Not to mention, they will actually have more fun if they have some good discipline in place.

How can a program improve going forward? Let’s start with:

1.              Setting definitive rules,

2.              Communicating the rules both verbally and in writing,

3.              Following through with the rules consistently,

4.              Creating a written schedule, practice plan, meetings, etc. and

5.              FOLLOW-THROUGH ~            “Don’t just talk about it, be about it!!”

Threats of discipline are not sufficient.  Remember, you are dealing with teenagers who know what they can and cannot get away with. The behavior of players will improve very quickly when a coach is consistent with discipline and there are constructive consequences for either breaking the rules or for not meeting expectations.

How can one avoid getting the reputation of an incompetent coach of an ineffectual program?  Implement structure and discipline early on and very soon, you will not have to give out discipline because players will have now learned what they cannot get away with. Without the discipline, you will be cutting the players short, struggling to reach goals, and creating destructive behaviors in athletes who move on to play on a professional level.

Let’s stop the madness! and also stop overlooking those who show great potential and are already disciplined!!

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March Madness